Transformation

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 51-52

The message here that Paul had for this church in Corinth was he had good news for them about resurrection. During Easter, we celebrate Resurrection and the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross. We also have that promise of resurrection and not just at Easter, but always. As we put our trust in the One who made the sacrifice, we also will be transformed just as He was.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CROSS: Prior to resurrection, the cross was a cruel instrument of death. It was a horrible form of execution. A person who was being crucified experienced excruciating pain, difficulty breathing and a slow death. But because of His resurrection, the cross is revered as a thing of beauty and a symbol of hope. The cross is a reminder of the love God has for us.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE TOMB: The tomb was a grave viewed as a symbol of finality. Because of His resurrection, it was transformed to show us that beyond death is where life really begins and it will never end. When we consider eternity, we know that everything we see on this side of resurrection is temporary and really does not matter. Only the things we cannot see that are on the other side of resurrection are eternal.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF TIME: Before resurrection, time has limitations. In relation to eternity, even the longest life is just a mist. On this side of resurrection, time is not very long; but on the other side, there is Jesus and eternity. That changes the whole meaning and scope of life.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF LIFE: The messages we get from the world are those of hopelessness and despair. We see diseases without a cure, children being abused and unimagineable crimes. If we watch and listen for very long, it would be easy to become discouraged. If all we depend on is what we have in this world, we are in sad shape. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16  Jesus Christ came to give us real life-- to transform us, to give us joy, hope, peace and show us how to live. We can live this life and live it abundantly. We can help others to do the same.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF DEATH: Without the resurrection, what promise do we have after death? None. But after the resurrection we don't have to fear death anymore when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. When we lose a loved one, we mourn. But we mourn as those who have a great hope. Because he lives, we too can live forever. When we have Him in our heart  our concept of death is transformed. We have a promise of a new life in Him forever. Death in this life is the beginning. It is the beginning of living forever with the Lord.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory, Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55

We can personally be transformed, because of what Jesus Christ did for us, as we accept His Sacrifice on the transforming cross; and because His tomb is empty, then the grave that awaits us at the end of this life will not hold us, but rather it will only hold the remains of where we used to live-- because we will be transformed!

Yes, our life and our death can be transformed, and that is what Jesus did for us, and that is what Easter is really all about. He is Risen!